About the Song

“Gypsy” reflects on Stevie’s warm memories of her life as a young adult in the San Francisco Bay Area during late 1960s and early 1970s, the years before she joined Fleetwood Mac. In the song, she mentions visiting The Velvet Underground, the so-called clothing store of rock stars in the San Francisco psychedelic rock scene. She has also attributed parts of the song to her late childhood friend Robin Snyder Anderson, whom she met at Arcadia High School in Southern California.

In 2014, Stevie elaborated on her visit to The Velvet Underground on Fleetwood Mac’s On with the Show Tour by sharing a lengthy story about her experience of being inspired by her surroundings and the thought of other rock stars passing through the store. She envisioned herself one day returning to the store as one of those rock stars.

Because of the space limitations of vinyl, the Mirage version of “Gypsy” was shortened to 4:24. The music video for “Gypsy” features a slightly longer version, with a running time of 4:50. The 1992 Fleetwood Mac box set 25 Years: The Chain includes the longest commercially-available version of the song (“Alternate Unedited Version”), with a running time of 5:26. The lyrics for the “Alternate Unedited Version” are printed in the 1982 Mirage album lyric sheet/booklet.

About the Music Video

The music video was directed by Russell Mulcahy and produced by Eric Fellner. On November 20, 2015, Fellner talked to Variety about his contributions to the video.

How did you land the “Gypsy” gig?

I started producing music videos in early ’80s as a very excited 21-year-old. It was a new industry. In England, you couldn’t get into a film union without experience, and you couldn’t get a job without the union. I was very lucky this new cottage industry was starting. I got to be producer.

Do you remember the project?

“Gypsy” I remember very well. Russell Mulcahy was a leading music video director. We shut down Hollywood Boulevard at night, and brought a giant crane (for the camera). It was like a movie production, with Stevie Nicks dancing down the street.

Official Video

Chart Performance

“Gypsy” was the second single from Mirage. An edited version of the song (3:53) was released, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The b-side song was “Cool Water,” an non-album cut featuring vocals from Lindsey Buckingham and John McVie. In France, the b-side song was “Oh Diane.”

In Latin and South American countries, the title was translated into Spanish as “Gitana”. Some countries printed the title as “Gipsy,” an alternate spelling.

Fleetwood Mac's Billboard Number 1, multiple-million-selling album Mirage (1982) gets the deluxe treatment on September 23. Get the full remastered album on CD, vinyl, and DVD-Audio, plus new liner notes, unseen photos, rare outtakes and remastered audio from Fleetwood Mac 1982 concert at The Forum in Los Angeles. Revisit the classic Fleetwood Mac sound on "Hold Me," "Gypsy," "Love in Store," and much more!